Eco Factor: Sustainable building powered by solar energy.
Denmark has finally got its first public CO2-neutral building. Dubbed the Green Lighthouse, the building is actually a lighthouse in more than one sense. The project was developed by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the University of Copenhagen, the city of Copenhagen and VELUX and VELFAC.
Endevco Announces 30% Discount Off List Price on Selected Modal Impact Hammers with ISOTRON® Impedance Converter
Hammer IEPE Output is Compatible with Most FFT analyzers and Data Acquisition Systems
December 4, 2009, San Juan Capistrano, California, USA – Endevco Corporation (Endevco®) (www.endevco.com), a Meggitt Group Company and global leader in the design and manufacture of sensing solutions for demanding vibration, shock and pressure applications, has announced a 30% discount off list price on selected models of their most popular modal impact hammers. The hammers feature an ISOTRON® impedance converter that provides an IEPE-type output, compatible with most FFT analyzers and data acquisition systems, and are designed to properly excite structures in modal and structural analysis applications.
Use of modal impact hammers can be a portable and cost-effective means of providing controlled excitation to structures, while providing no undesirable mass loading to the structure under test. Scaled modal models also require precise force measurement, which can be achieved via a modal hammer fitted with a piezoelectric force transducer. In applications where a high crest factor and ability to shape the input force spectrum is of minimal concern, impact hammers are an ideal source of excitation. Endevco® modal hammers are designed to excite the test structure with a constant force over a frequency range of interest. In addition, certain selected models are acceleration compensated, to avoid spectrum glitches due to hammer structural resonances.
Endevco® model 2302 modal impact hammers are designed for the excitation of small to medium-sized structures. They feature an ergonomically designed handle grip, for optimized control and reduced possibility of “double hits” affecting measurement results. Model 2302 is also acceleration compensated, facilitating reduction of cancel/null and error input (glitches). It is offered in four different sensitivities and ranges, from 5 mV/lbf sensitivity/1000 lbf range (-5 version) to 100 mV/lbf/50 lbf range (-100 version), and includes replacement impact heads of various materials, for different bandwidth response, and a carrying case. Recommended for use with model 2302 is optional mass extender model EHM1653. Endevco® models 2303, 2304 and 2305 are designed for the excitation of larger structures, and feature a wooden handled sledgehammer design, with optional extender head to increase head mass. They are offered in sensitivities of 1.0 mV/lbf, with range of 5000 lbf, and maximum force of 8000 lbf. Endevco® model 2303 one-pound and Endevco® model 2304 three-pound hammers are designed for exciting machinery, shafts, large beams, pipelines, storage tanks and other large structures. The 12-pound model 2305 hammer is used on bridges, buildings, decks and floors. Models 2303, 2304 and 2305 include four interchangeable tips, to help determine input pulse width, and thus bandwidth, along with carrying case. Endevco® models 4416B, 4990A (Oasis) and 133 signal conditioners are all recommended for use with modal hammers. The special 30% discount price applies to orders placed direct to the factory through December 31, 2009, and cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. For detailed specifications, drawings or additional information, please visit www.endevco.com.
About Endevco Corporation, a Meggitt Group Company:
Founded in 1947, with headquarters in San Juan Capistrano, California, USA, Endevco is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of dynamic instrumentation for vibration, shock and pressure measurement. The company’s comprehensive lines of piezoelectric, piezoresistive, Isotron® and variable capacitance accelerometers are used to ensure accurate and reliable measurements in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, test and measurement, medical, and energy. Additional products include pressure transducers, acoustic sensors, electronic instruments and calibration systems. A member of the Meggitt group of companies (www.meggitt.com), Endevco supports customers with a global network of manufacturing and research facilities, sales offices and applications engineers. Isotron is a registered trademark of Meggitt Group, PLC.
TMC-3D, the Technosoft multi-axis motion controller, is now adapted to execute G-code commands. Today, a lot of industrial applications are defined with these types of motion. G-code is a language, used in numerical control programming, that executes various movements as: piece cutting, profile shaping or drawing, etc. In order to achieve these particular kinds of movement, the numerical control uses basic blocks which carry one or more words, each word consisting of a letter—detailing the function to be performed—followed by a number that assigns value to the function (e.g., N0001 G90 G00 Y125 X2 A23 B-1).
The G-code information is translated into TML commands through the
G-code to TML converter integrated in the EasyMotion Studio software. The G-code files are imported into EasyMotion Studio and translated to TML commands. After the conversion process, TMC-3D will send the motion sequences to the drives / motors which execute the movements. The TML converter allows you to set the basic movement parameters specific to the G-code: linear axes, cycle start button, choose the measure units, set the Traverse and Feed rates. Technosoft’s G-code–to–TML converter supports various G-code words, letters and parameters together with unary and binary operands.
TMC-3D is able to control two other Technosoft intelligent drives and also includes a 640 W servo drive that may be used to command one of the application axes. The motion programming can be done using PC or PLC motion libraries, or directly at controller level in TML language. EasyMotion Studio automatically generates all the TML instructions, so you don’t need to learn or write any TML code. Powerful TML instructions as: motion commands, program flow control, I/O handling, arithmetic and logic operations are executed / controlled by TMC-3D. Its role is primarily a managerial one, with responsibilities that include network or slave management. It can perform predefined actions as: stopping the motion on all slaves in case of a node failure, or commanding different homing procedures and other motion profiles on each slave.
For further details (on how to set up a multi-axis project, how to import a G-code file or execute a G-code application), see the ‘Executing G-code commands with TMC-3D Motion Controller’ application note at: http://www.technosoftmotion.com/products/OEM_PROD_TMC-3D.htm
TECHNOSOFT
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 32 732 55 00
[email protected]
www.technosoftmotion.com
Local businesses are the hot market right now for online services. Most big businesses have a pretty solid online presence at this point and the competition is pretty fierce in this area. Local businesses by contrast don’t really have the resources to establish a very well though-out web identity and, so far, there hasn’t been a real need for most of them. Big web companies, Google is no exception, have realized that this largely untapped market has a lot of potential, so many are pushing hard to win small businesses over. Google has now made a pretty big move sending out stickers to 100,000 businesses in the US, labeling them as “Favorite Places.”
That in itself isn’t exactly an innovative move, but the interesting part is that these stickers feature two-dimensional bar codes, known as QR codes, which can be decoded by phones or devices with QR code readers and store some sort of information usually used in commercial applications. In this particular case, the QR code links to a the “Favorite Places” page for the particular store, restaurant or whatever business may be sporting it.
The page has some general information about the business, a map, working hours, phone numbers but also reviews and other third-party of user-generated information. The idea is that users stan… (read more)
Digg celebrates its 5th anniversary with Digg 365 [labs.digg.com], the newest incarnation of the ground-breaking data visualization interfaces available at Digg Labs, next to the well-known Arc, Big Spy, Stack and Swarm variants.
Digg 365 surfaces the top 10 stories on any given day, month and year. The ability to view past stories this far back has not existed until now. One can also explore the top 10 stories by category or per year. Users can roll over the colored arcs to show display the months. Clicking on it brings an outside arc to choose a specific day.
There have been plenty of legal questions over the activities of a small group of companies in Europe, including law firm Davenport Lyons, ACS:Law, Logistep and Digiprotect among others — who all seem to work together to purposely put files online that they have licensed, and then send threat letters to the owner of any IP address that connects to them. This leads to a fair number of totally bogus demands for people to pay up to avoid getting sued. Apparently, the business is quite profitable, even as no actual lawsuits have been filed.
Yet, now reader Dan alerts us to the news that, at least in Germany, the pre-settlement letters and relationships between these companies may be entirely illegal. This was discovered due to a recently leaked document — the one that showed how profitable all this was — which also noted that the relationships between the various companies were not based on any direct monetary exchange:
The document states that “the whole project is kind of a joint venture where no party charges the other party with any costs.” The problem with such a set-up is that the pre-settlement offers are usually based on costs incurred by retaining a law office to pursue the claim. File sharers are asked to pay 450 bucks for a porn movie because it costs money to investigate their IP address and send them the cease and desist letter.However, German law specifically states that these costs can’t be based on the success of the claim. In other words: In order to invoice file sharers for lawyer fees, these fees have to occur and be paid by someone no matter whether a file sharer pays up or not. Invoicing someone for costs that haven’t actually occurred could be seen as fraud.
Oops. After a German lawyer, Thomas Stadler, reviewed all this and posted his analysis saying that the efforts in Germany were clearly illegal under German law (Google translation from the original) , the German lawyer who had sent the original document (the leaked one, detailing how these operations worked), Udo Kornmeier sent him a cease-and-desist letter (again, Google translation from the original), demanding he take down his blog post that showed the whole operation was illegal. Apparently, lawyers who may be breaking the law in Germany don’t like other lawyers exposing them…
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Morgan Stanley's recent UK Economics and Fixed Income Strategy piece shows just how quickly and dramatically the U.K.'s government deficit just exploded. It shows how quickly a crisis can get much, much worse as tax receipts fall due to a weakening economy, yet expenditures rise due to stimulus efforts from governments and higher entitlement pay-outs to struggling citizens.
Morgan Stanley: The Treasury’s projection for Public Sector Net Borrowing (PSNB, effectively the UK’s measure of its fiscal deficit) is likely to be similar to the number in the April Budget (£175 billion). ... According to Budget 2009, each 1pp [percentage point] lower growth in a year typically increases the PSNB by 0.5pp of GDP in that year (and 0.2pp the year after).
(Via Morgan Stanley, UK Economics and Fixed Income Strategy, Melanie Baker CFA, 4 December 2009)
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Eco Factor: Traveling 3775km on a solar-powered trike.
Year 8 to Year 12 students from Ballarat’s Damascus College are attempting to ride their way into the record books by riding a distance of 3775 km in about two weeks’ time on a solar-powered three-wheeled bike. The expedition, called the RodeRAGE, aims to spread the word about climate change.
Gaussin company was proud to launch, through the exhibition SITL in Dubai, 2 weeks ago his news brand product : the ATT – Automotive Terminal Trailer.
It’s a totally new solution to increase the safety, productivity, and comfort in one hand and reduce the cost of ownership in other hands during the handling process in the terminal environment.
Thanks to its new design, the ATT is a great alternative to the tractor plus the terminal trailer .
ARCHITECTURE : ALL IN ONE
Unique architecture combining tractor and trailer functions in a single vehicle with a central engine.
POWER PACK : Hybrid
The engine module replaceable in less than 20 minutes, is powering a hydraulic transmission, located directly in the wheels.
Original layout to improve cooling and power supply.
Anticipates the new environment standards.
Low maintenance, whilst offering greater availability and reliability.
SYSTEM STOP & START
Electro-hydraulic unit allowing fuel consumption to be reduce by 30%
CHASSIS : NO DEFLECTION
Innovative modular chassis offering the best static and dynamic strength on the market.
Adapts to any type of 20′, 40′ or 45′ container, with a perfectly horizontal loading sill.
CAB
Optimum ergonomics.
High level of comfort and safety.
Large glazed surface for maximum visibility.
CERTIFICATION
Design that meets the strictest standards (CE, TUV, TIER III A, etc… )
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION
Innovations protected by 9 international patents, designs and trademarks.
Follow this link to see the video : www.attbygaussin.com
Google has been building towards this for months now and it looks like the way may finally be over, Google Chrome is about to get extensions. Well, to be more precise, Google Chrome Beta is about to get extensions and everyone else will get to enjoy the upcoming Extensions Gallery which is set to launch by the week’s end, according to TechCrunch.
Google does things a little different when it comes to software. Most likely a trait of its web-app background, Google has shunned the usual release cycle of traditional desktop software for its Chrome web browser and opted for frequent releases and small updates. This means that big new features and announcements are rare and don’t pack the same punch when they been around in one form or another for months.
This is why frequent Chrome users may not be too excited by the launch, extensions have been around for a while now. But the fact is that, while extensions support has been built into the browser actual extensions are a little harder to come by, which is why the Gallery is very important, developers have finally realized it’s time to build for Chrome as well so. Not only will there be a centralized, officially-sanctioned place to find extensions, but there will finally be choice.
The Gallery is expected to be launched this week ahead… (read more)
China's top economic planners emerged from an annual closed-door economic meeting to declare that they will continue their stimulative policies.
This comes despite fears that the economy is overheating.
Xinhua: China would continue to adopt the proactive fiscal policy and moderately easy monetary policy next year and endeavor to improve the quality of economic growth, participants at the Central Economic Work Conference agreed Monday.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao addressed the meeting, which is held once a year to set the tone for economic development during the next year, said a statement from the conference.
China Daily: The emphasis, however, is shifting to promoting consumer spending and private investment, rather than the state-led investment of this year's recovery program, which has focused heavily on construction of railways, roads and other public works, newspaper China Business News and other reports said.
The problem is that many of China's stimulative policies are preventing the above economic transformation from actually happening. Yet in the end, they really don't have any choice but to declare that the same level of stimulus will continue, even if in reality they start to cut it back.
Regardless, Shanghai's CSI 300 index seems to happy with today's assurance.
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I was having some performance issues on my Dell Mini 9 recently and decided to start doing some optimization. One of the things I was going to do was change the Page file settings from system managed, like they are by default, to a static size.
Well, I had filled up my drive, and didn’t have enough room to do that, so I decided to re-build my Dell Mini. Why not? It’s the weekend, and I didn’t have anything important save on it anyway. So like normal, I pull out my external DVD drive that I purchased with my netbook, and began trying to re-install. That is when I started having problems.
This actually happens every time I try to install anything via CD or DVD on the Dell Mini. The external drive that came with it is hit or miss. I looked online, and it appears to be a common issue with the Dell Mini. Let me tell you it is frustrating as hell!
The good news is that I can boot off of a USB stick no problem. In fact, that is how I install my Bauer-Puntu partition on the Dell Mini. What about the Windows half though? Well it turns out it is fairly easy to make a bootable USB Windows 7 install stick!
All you need is a Windows 7 install DVD, and a 4GB USB Flash drive. Don’t have one? You can get a Bauer-Power one here: Bauer-Power 4GB USB
Better yet, you get one for only $10.99 from Amazon here: 4GB USB
Once you have your materials, just do the following:
Once that part is complete, keep your command prompt open and pop in your Windows 7 DVD, then do the following from command line:
After performing the above steps, I recommend creating an image of your install thumb drive so you don’t have to remember all of the above later. To do that just download Roadkil’s Disk Image tool, and save an exact copy of your USB stick to your hard drive some place. If you ever need to use it again, you can re-image your USB stick with the same tool.
Are you a Dell Mini user? Are you having problems with your external DVD drive? Know of an easier tool to create a Windows 7 install USB thumb drive? Hit me up in the comments!
Conax Technologies retractable Sample Probe Assemblies are used to hot tap or inject into basically any type of liquid or gas stream. Typical applications of a sample probe are gas sampling, oil sampling, oxygen sampling, potable water sampling, waste water sampling, water quality sampling, and water or chemical injection.
Optional materials
Optional materials for the Sample Probe and the Conax Technologies Packing Gland body (wetted components) are available. Refer to the Conax Pressure and Vacuum Sealing Assemblies Catalog #5001C or our website for available options such as:
316L SST
316 NACE SST
316L CRN (gland body only)
Monel 405
Hastelloy C276
Inconel 600
Temperature and Pressure Ratings
Refer to the Conax Technologies Pressure and Vacuum Sealing Assemblies Catalog #5001C for temperature and pressure ratings for static conditions. Pressure ratings are reduced when the sealing gland cap is loosened to allow for the insertion or extraction of the Sample Probe.
This test method covers the determination of the peel resistance of adhesive bonds between: a sandwich of two layers of aluminum and polyethylene. The goal is to measure the average torque required to peel the two material.
How it wroks:
The fixture consists of a drum assembly, flexible loading straps mounted at the bottom of the stand, an upper self closing clamp to grip the specimen and a drum clamp to hold the outer skin against the face of the drum.
During a test the loading straps pull on the drum assembly, forcing it to rotate and climb along the length of the aluminum panel. This motion peels the outer skin away from the core structure. The peel force is monitored by the load measurement system providing a measure of bond strength.
KENNEWICK, Washington – December 4, 2009 – Bruker Elemental announces the winner of our S1 Sorter giveaway contest.
Andre Jordaan of Shosaliza PMI in South Africa was the winner of the recent S1 Sorter giveaway contest. Congratulations Andre!
The S1 Sorter is a handheld XRF analyzer; ideal for Positive Material Identification (PMI) applications involving stainless steel, carbon steel, low allow steel, etc.
There's nothing wrong with hoping for charity and good-intentions from people, but in the end profit incentives provide the most effective way to motivate large numbers of people to join together and solve problems.
A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) just made this very clear when presented by an internet contest from the U.S. Department of Defense:
The Guardian: The Darpa Network Challenge, which took place on Saturday, offered a cash prize for the first group to successfully locate 10 large red weather balloons hidden at a string of secret locations across the US.
Competitors were asked to use the internet and social networking sites to discover the whereabouts of the balloons, in what Darpa - the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - said was an experiment to discover how the internet could help with rapid problem solving.
The MIT team completed what was supposed to be a nine-hour challenge in just nine-hours. How? They paid out a portion of their prize money to whomever could help them.
The winning team has not explained precisely how they came to discover the location of all 10 balloons, but the process detailed on the team website explains that they created a viral campaign to encourage people to put forward information they gleaned about the locations.
The team offered the first person to spot a balloon a $2,000 share of the prize money, but smaller awards would also be given to those who referred that player to MIT's website - a scheme of incentives aimed at getting people to urge their friends to take part.
Here's a sense for how they set up the incentive structure:
MIT Red Balloon: Have all your friends sign up using your personalized invitation. If anyone you invite, or anyone they invite, or anyone they invite (...and so on) win money, then so will you!
We're giving $2000 per balloon to the first person to send us the correct coordinates, but that's not all -- we're also giving $1000 to the person who invited them. Then we're giving $500 whoever invited the inviter, and $250 to whoever invited them, and so on..
Checking out the team's website here.
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On the eve of the Copenhagen conference, a group of scientists has issued an update on the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Their conclusions? Ice at both poles is melting faster than predicted, the claims of recent global cooling are wrong, and world leaders must act fast if steep temperature rises are to be avoided. By Elizabeth Kolbert
Christmas, like all holidays, is intrinsically linked with food. For me, beyond the sugar cookies and gingerbread, I always remember the cheese spreads. I know. It seems odd to think of cheese or bacon being intrinsically connected to the holidays. but each year we’d receive boxes of goodies from mail order companies: chocolate tortes, summer sausages, spiced nuts, ruby red grapefruit and, my favorite: potted cheese spreads. I’d steal into the kitchen after the holiday parties and eat the port cheese, Swiss or bacon and cheddar cheese spreads. I loved them in all their salty, creamy glory.
Of course, I haven’t seen them in years not that I’d purchase them now anyway, but I still crave them. If you’re a believer in the low-fat mantra, you might want to skip this post – and the rest of Nourished Kitchen, for that matter as this recipe is full of fat – nourishing, satisfying and intensely flavorful.
The combination of bacon, artisan raw milk cheese and caramelized shallots blends together beautifully for a satisfying potted cheese spread. It assembles in just a few minutes, and is perfect for taking to holiday parties or, combined with sprouted grain crackers and a salad of winter greens, a light lunch.
This recipe for potted cheese makes use of fresh, raw cream rich in food enzymes and beneficial, lactic acid bacteria as well as pasture-raised bacon which is a remarkably good source of vitamin D (read more about vitamin D deficiency and disease). Moreover, tbe combination of artisan, raw milk cheese and fresh cream provides ample conjugated linoleic acid which is proving essential to heart health and weight maintenance.
This creamy, salty and faintly smoky spread makes an excellent addition to the holiday table. Makes approximately 1 pint of potted cheese spread.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Like this recipe? Order a recipe card for your collection: only $1.99.
Full disclosure: the next journalist to use some variation of the word “cracked” to describe the Honda P-NUT’s debut is getting kicked in the shins at the next auto show. I’ll be watching.
Unlike the majority of the unpalatable concepts that have littered Honda’s booth for the better part of 2009, the Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) does not immediately offend the senses. As a matter of fact, the angular front fascia and the well-defined, sloping shoulders are actually quite attractive and almost lend Honda’s design department an air of hope. “Almost” being the operative word.
Unfortunately, the P-NUT unveiled live in Los Angeles last week is not a production-ready urban crawler but a purely a conceptual interpretation of the soul-sucking enviro-friendly vehicles Honda promises to roll out in the future. Apparently, the RWD, rear-engined P-NUT’s primary objective is to demonstrate that there is hope for the ultra-compact city car beyond the ugly, underpowered options currently available today, which is basically akin to performing a digital makeover. The immediate reaction is positive…and instantly killed by the harsh smack of reality.
Bottom line: if you want small, fun, cool and only slightly fruity, buy a MINI Cooper. If you want small, marginally faster than a pair of Rollerblades, and guaranteed to score you plenty of dude poon, buy a smart ForTwo. See Honda? Theoretical problem solved. Now get back to work on the CR-Z.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck has had surgery on a hurt right finger and will not start in the Sun Bowl, The Daily learned Sunday. Luck will be replaced by senior Tavita Pritchard, who has made 19 starts in his Cardinal career but has attempted just three passes this season.
The announcement was made at the team’s annual awards banquet, where Luck won sophomore of the year honors and Pritchard was acknowledged for his leadership. Indeed, Pritchard has taken on a mentorship role this year for the younger Luck, who has had a stellar start to his collegiate career. Luck has thrown for 2,575 yards on the season and 13 touchdowns against only four interceptions. Perhaps most impressively, he is fourth in the nation in yards per attempt, arguably the most important and telling passing statistic.
But now, Pritchard will have a chance to ditch the headset and bookend his Stanford career another major win. His first start was against USC in 2007 in a game now known as the “Biggest Upset Ever.” In the Sun Bowl, his last game in a Stanford uniform, will try to lead the Cardinal to its first bowl victory since 1996.
The Athletics Department could not be reached for comment.
Check back at www.stanforddaily.com for more as this story continues to develop.
